Roxas remembers "her" still. If it's on Day 358.
Also she can talk to Riku through the Oblivion keyblade that one time.
...Please don't ask me why, I don't.
As for what Naminé remembers.
I sorta already wrote it. And posted it here.
All my attempts to prewrite the last conversation between Xion and Naminé keep ending up shippy.
I don't mind the ship, I keep seeing cute fanart of it, but.
I'd be a liar if I said it's what I planned when I started. But every time I keep trying to rewrite anything it gets more shippy, not less, and I have no clue why.
...Also, like. I dunno how shitty it is to other teens?
Or.
Riku is the shittiest shitty teen. That's just a fact.
Still not as bad as DiZ though.
Naminé.
What it boils down to is she promised to fix Sora as soon as she could.
Technically, it's said in Days that, if she had constant access to Roxas and Xion. She could still fix Sora, it'd just take years.
So there is literally no scenario where Roxas isn't basically locked in a basement.
...I sorta plan on having Xemnas half-Dusk Naminé because. I dunno, honestly.
I genuinely want to believe and like the idea that it's something Xemnas can do.
And. Hmm.
It might be overly. I dunno.
But I picture Roxas seeing it and deciding maybe they're right that Sora is the only one that can do this.
As for Xion.
I mean, I like the idea of her having golden eyes when she looks like Sora.
...Technically Xion doesn't really "die" in the game, because death is a thing with a specific definition and she at no point matches it.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
I see. Not sure if im exactly following the sequence of events, but I’m sure it’ll make sense when you get there.
What do you mean by “half-Dusk”?
Oh God! Natural light!
Zipper mouth.
Noodle arm.
Xemnas gets interrupted.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
Yikes.
Your characterization of Xemnas has been very interesting so far - I'm curious to see what will prompt this.
Oh God! Natural light!
My characterization of Xemnas is that he's a mess.
Which.
God, it's weird how KHIII didn't contradict anything technically but didn't confirm it either.
Like.
And, I don't think this is a spoiler. We know they're in the game, and I'm not specifying details.
The Norts all have distinct personalities.
And Xemnas's is. I mean, it's consistent, even while being so radically different from any of the other Norts.
...Or maybe I'm just too horny for Paul St. Peter's larynx to notice the inconsistencies.
...God I want to, like.
I shouldn't publically discuss what I want to do with Xemnas's voice lines.
But anyway.
I think I have a better grasp on Ansem and how he's different from MX and Terranort and Apprentice!Nort and how he's similar to them now.
I will say that I don't think the Guardian stuff necessarily contradicts how I write Ansem, because I sorta always viewed Ansem and the Guardian as parts of a single entity in the first place. Terranort uses the Guardian as a summon, but Ansem and the Guardian sometimes seem to be, like, joined at the boots/tail. Like a dog with two heads. Terranort and the Guardian are more separate, Ansem is more of a mishmash.
While Xemnas.
I write him as having Xehanort, Eraqus and Terra's memories, but as Xemnas says, there's no heart with which to parse it. Not initially. Who he is, he formed all on his own.
Which. KHIII sorta emphasizes him being as much his own person as Roxas and Naminé.
It's just that he's a terrible person, is the thing.
Xemnas after COM (should I call it COW? Shit, my acronym game is weaker than Nomura) treats Naminé very differently.
...Also, Xemnas would never be nice to anyone that just broke his Kingdom Hearts.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
I see.
Didn’t you say that Namine breaks Kingdom Hearts at the end of Days?
So what prompts the change of behavior after Chain? Nortification?
Oh God! Natural light!
End of Days would be when he Dusks her.
Or. Tries. Starts to.
Xemnas is Weird with his Norts.
I sorta hinted at it in Day 12 and 12.8 with some of the references to Aqua and Saïx.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
I mean, equally though her hair isn't blue so she should be. Fine. Ish.
Compared to Saïx anyway.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
That's pretty creepy, Xemnas.
Speaking of Aqua, does anyone here have a headcanon for where she and Terra come from? III calls Eraqus a Keyblade blueblood - are they the same?
Oh God! Natural light!
There is literally nothing about the Chamber of Repose that isn't creepy.
Like, 0.2 seems to start to imply that "no, it was a Xehanort thing all along" but then in III the only Norts that seem to give a shit about Ventus are Vanitas and Terranort and even the latter is. A stretch.
So I'm just. Going with my usual stance, which is that everything is true, even the fiddly contradictory bits.
...I would not be able to write Xemnas if not for the Steven Universe fandom, and the concept of Fusion.
As for that spoilers shit, if I could not figure out what the shit is even up with that place and how any of that works.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
Fair enough. Any ideas for where Terra and Aqua might have come from regardless?
Oh God! Natural light!
Makes my head hurt, so no. Sorry.
...If I have a problem, it's that I'm impatient, and am ridiculously willing to fix things in the edit, and. However much I like the Goofy and Ducktales stuff, they aren't quite what I'm here for either.
The longer this takes, the more I want to just get it out there for now so I can move on.
Anyway, Here's the chapter
you animals.
Fandom Heretic
Not necessarily shipping-wise or anything because I legitimately don't see it, but that all three of the DI trio would have been playable at least once or twice during the Nort Train boss sequence.
____________
On a completely unrelated note, kind of want to do a Mega Man crossover with KH. Air Man, Just For Pun would go pretty good in Monstropolis, and Bubble Man could be a fun compare-n-contrast against Demyx.
Those two in particular would also make great 'Norts for the 13, IMO.
Edited by EvaUnit01 on Feb 21st 2019 at 11:49:21 AM
The Struggler
I would probably try to keep the DI trio's relationship ambiguous at least at first with the SI and his friends throwing theories about their relationship in-universe.
Since the SI is a FF fanboy and knows that some of Riku's character arc was somewhat based on Kain Highwind from FFIV, he would come to the conclusion that he's still pining for Kairi.
His friends would either say that he moved on or that the three of them made an OT3.
You gotta start somewhere.
...Writing Marluxia and Maleficent and how they both have rose and thorn aesthetics (Marluxia is flowers in general, and sometimes sakura cherry blossoms, but) is. A thing.
...Also I'm weirdly tempted to, like.
I mean, Union X references to how Maleficent was just there.
And spoke to Darkness.
And.
Hmm.
...The idea that Maleficent knows Marluxia, and he doesn't know her, is weirdly compelling.
Which, would probably be about as rude as not inviting her to a christening.
But Union X could so easily prove me wrong.
EDIT: ...Suddenly I am incredibly tempted to have Maleficent just completely fuck up the plot and fix everything.
She waltzes in, Sora and Kairi are brainwashed and fighting and she sorta hates it?
I cant tell if this is me @ me, me @ Nomura, or the characters @ me, but all the adult Disney characters just being Done with teen relationship Drama is becoming the most recurring thing here.
...It's a delicate thing to balance, because, I kinda still want her to not quite match or exceed Xemnas and Xehanort, but I absolutely want her to ruin Marluxia and Zexion's entire day.
...The idea of Maleficent as a mentor for Naminé suddenly just occurred to me and I like it.
...God I want to do a potentially plot ruining skit.
Sora and Kairi mention Repliku, and she just goes "He's still in the basement".
I have no idea how they could even get to the basement, Castle Oblivion's actual layout is a mess. And the extent to which she'd be willing to help for the sake of helping is probably not much. Or any.
But.
I'd honestly feel bad now if she just died again here without doing anything.
Edited by unnoun on Feb 21st 2019 at 12:30:08 PM
Fandom Heretic
I'm not entirely sure how I wound up headcanon-ing that Kanga is secretly one of the New Seven Hearts Of Pure Light, but fuckitall I'm running with it first chance I get.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
You're saying that they're brainwashed to fight each other at some point?
As for Maleficent derailing things, I think that could work, as long as she doesn't blow the actual Naminé plot wide open on her own. Maybe inadvertently revealing the Repliku isn't the real Riku would cause a rift between Sora and Kairi? Like, one of them believes her, but the other doesn't (which would probably be Kairi and Sora, respectively, if only because you have Kairi going to the basement, I believe?)? After all, they don't really have a good reason to trust her.
What was your original plan?
Oh God! Natural light!
I mean.
People in KH keep calling Maleficent a Witch even though she's a fairy, which. I don't see why you couldn't technically be both.
So in terms of derailing the Naminé plot. Witch vs. Witch.
Also, in KHBBS she says she has power over sleep, and while dreams hold our memories, sleep holds our dreams.
...Part of me sorta wants her to find Ven somehow.
They already have, because of the promise. They each think the other is lying.
EDIT: Holy shit writing Maleficent is my favorite fucking thing.
When I write a Maleficent line, and I get it right, so I can hear it in her voice, it's the best feeling.
And dear god is she getting really meta.
I can't tell if she's mocking Marluxia, Chain of Memories, Tetsuya Nomura or me, but she keeps pointing out how cliche Marluxia's plan is, even by her standards.
EDIT: Huh.
In some respects, I'm starting to write this as almost the end of the fic.
It'll continue afterwards, of course, both the Chain portion and the AU in general when I get back to Days.
But this is the end of Sora and Kairi's journey together, and in a sense. Not the end of Sokai as a pairing or a friendship, but there's definitely such a radical change after this, that.
I keep going bigger and bigger with it.
Which. Conflicts some, if they don't defeat Maleficent, and I want her to win here.
For her to be the only one to really win.
Edited by unnoun on Feb 22nd 2019 at 11:06:02 AM
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
Ah, right. Do you think they’ll actually come to blows, though?
I’ll admit, I’m still a little confused about where you’d be taking the Maleficent stuff. How do you think that would impact your endgame here?
Oh God! Natural light!
I want Maleficent to just take over Castle Oblivion. Like, completely.
Thorns everywhere.
Like.
...I have this idea that. It's mentioned that the layout of CO changes, and the rooms move.
And I sorta.
If she does find the Chamber of Waking, it's by just sending more and more thorns and vines pentrating the walls of every room, holding them in place.
Probably bad for the foundation and bedrock, but her original castle in Sleeping Beauty and in Enchanted Dominion in BBS and KHUX is falling apart, she's not a very good homeowner.
...God now I'm imagining her and Pete as a sitcom couple, with how stereotypically men try to fix things themselves and.
God. It's awful and I hate it and I love it and I'm doing it. Fuck.
Zexion and Marluxia's actions probably wouldn't change much, as far as Floor 13 and Basement 3 go, they're both arrogant shits, and.
...I'm imagining Marluxia running a hand on Maleficent's vines and suddenly, the dead thorns sprout to life and bud flowers, and wow it feels like the most sexual thing.
Zexion is lives in a dark room anyway, he doesn't care about the decor, and Marluxia can sorta fight her on the same field, so.
But anyway. The only ones that take her seriously as a threat are Lexaeus and Naminé. And honestly Mickey, but he's not here yet technically.
Once she takes control.
...I'm going to have her just let the heroes and DiZ take Sora, Kairi and Donald and Goofy's pods and go, just because she thinks she owes them and Riku for her resurrection, and she hates debts. They're very bad for you magically.
...Huh.
I want her to know about Ven.
She knows Terra has darkness sleeping in him, and Ven's heart is sleeping in Sora's.
Ven himself and his body are sleeping in CO itself.
Honestly, power over sleep might be how she found Kairi's body in the first game.
She's like the anti-power of waking, almost.
I think, whatever interest she might have in Ven. She just got back, she needs a little more time to settle in, and she sorta owes Sora, she can always find him later.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
Hmm...I do wonder if the Castle’s protection, at least over the Chamber of Waking, might be too strong for something like that. Though I do think that the “power over sleep” thing might work well there. How does this memory Maleficent relate to the real Maleficent, or am I misunderstanding things?
Another question - how do Sora and Kairi learn the truth about Naminé?
Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Feb 22nd 2019 at 12:01:56 PM
Oh God! Natural light!
She's become the real Maleficent now, thanks to Riku. And Sora and Kairi and Belle. Belle's heart.
...Look, only a heart can reach the Final World so I think I am completely vindicated in the belief that the heart is the only thing that fucking matters.
Same way Flora, Fauna, Merryweather and Diablo brought her back.
I mentioned that.
Dunno if I conveyed it very well.
I mean.
Part of my inspiration for the fic in general was Last Midnight from Into the Woods, and between that and Granny Weatherwax in Discworld, the question of what being a witch even means is one I have in mind.
Which is to say, Maleficent wouldn't explain shit.
...She might not understand or care about the Nobody stuff either, so. Honestly, which truth about Naminé didya mean? There's a lot.
...For some reason I'm currently writing her being resurrected in front of Team Sora, gloating, and then immediately fucking off to fight Marluxia.
The world boss for Hollow Garden might be Aqua, actually.
A side-plot is that. I don't think I specified how many cards Axel gave, but I decided it wasn't enough, and instead of a carefully constructed world card, Hollow Garden is a mess of Sora and Kairi and even Donald and Goofy's memories.
Which is to say. Kairi's childhood and BBS memories, even.
They first find a child Naminé being menaced by Heartless.
...Shit, I got an ask last chapter about Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Fuck me I'm considering (a memory double of) him showing up, if I can't use Mickey because the memories are so messed up.
Then they find "Naminé"'s grandmother in the Library.
Then they climb down to the Chamber of Repose, and "Naminé" fights them in "her" armor.
...Kairi having an existential crisis and partial breakdown because Naminé did a screwed up hackjob inserting herself into the memories could be a good way to lead into the kidnapping, actually. Hmm.
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
Really just the memory manipulation - I could see the Nobody stuff coming up towards the end of the story, though it doesn't necessarily be revealed at all at this stage. It doesn't really matter, since they'd forget it anyway, and Kairi would presumably find out in the Days plot.
What I'm really curious about is how and when the two of them learn that Naminé's been manipulating them this whole time.
Though I think you're definitely hinting it with the stuff you've mentioned.
Man, now I'm wondering what the series would have looked like if Terra, Aqua and Ven were a part of the story from the beginning (assuming that Birth By Sleep's events played out more or less the same).
I'm imagining mentions and flashbacks of "the blue-haired woman", for one thing. Maybe Aqua shows up when Riku ends up in the Realm of Darkness, and they actually meet.
Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Feb 22nd 2019 at 12:37:45 PM
Oh God! Natural light!
So, wait, people do remember Xion, or does this happen before she dies?
Actually, does she die?
Regardless, lots of teens being shitty to each other here, that feels guaranteed.
Oh God! Natural light!